Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The early 21st century may someday be looked upon as a pivotal point in the Earth's history. At its most dramatic, this era might someday be thought of as the beginning of the end. The present decade marks a milestone in which the majority of people in industrialized nations and a large portion of people in the developing world are now feeling the effects of too many humans, too much waste, and the disappearance of plant and animal species faster than at any other time in history. ""Sustainability"" describes the innovations that will likely play a role in the near future for creating a critical mass in the environment's favor. Opening with a chapter describing the ecosystem of humans, animals, plants, and other life, this new full-color guide provides an overview of ecology and the philosophy of living for the environment rather than taking from it. It goes on to explore some places in the world that have started making changes in order to live in a sustainable way as well as some new materials that conserve natural resources. The chapters include: Ecosystem Health; Green Biotechnology; Sustainable Agriculture and Biopesticides; White Biotechnology; Marine Biotechnology; Alternative Materials and Products; and, Sustainable Communities.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. ix)
• Acknowledgments (p. xi)
• Introduction (p. xiii)
• 1 Ecosystem Health (p. 1)
• History of Environmentalism (p. 2)
• The Health of Our Biosphere (p. 6)
• Earth Day (p. 8)
• How Ecosystems Work (p. 10)
• Carrying Capacity (p. 12)
• Indicators of Ecosystem Health (p. 15)
• Technologies for Ecosystem Study (p. 18)
• Deep Ecology (p. 20)
• Our Commitment to the Environment (p. 23)
• Green Lifestyle Choices (p. 25)
• Case Study: Green Politics and Elections (p. 26)
• Conclusion (p. 28)
• 2 Green Biotechnology (p. 30)
• The New Environmental Science (p. 31)
• Biological Control of Pests (p. 35)
• Protecting Earth's Species (p. 39)
• Microorganisms from Extreme Environments (p. 41)
• Biotechnology Products (p. 44)
• Nanobiotechnology (p. 45)
• Bioengineering's Impact on Biodiversity (p. 48)
• Case Study: Concerns about Bioengineering (p. 50)
• Conclusion (p. 52)
• 3 Sustainable Agriculture and Biopesticides (p. 53)
• The Sustainable Agriculture Movement (p. 54)
• A Sustainable Farm (p. 56)
• Case Study: Australia Balances Its Natural Capital (p. 62)
• Biopesticides (p. 64)
• ApoptosisùSuicide Genes for Bioengineered Bacteria (p. 67)
• Plant-Incorporated Protectants (p. 68)
• Engineered Foods and Crops (p. 71)
• Future Agricultural Biotechnology (p. 74)
• Case Study: Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (p. 75)
• Conclusion (p. 77)
• 4 White Biotechnology (p. 79)
• Biotechnology and Industry (p. 80)
• Case Study: The Science of Measuring the Ecological Footprint (p. 83)
• Sustainable Chemistry (p. 84)
• Enzyme Kinetics (p. 90)
• Social and Economic Benefits (p. 90)
• Present and Future White Biotechnology (p. 92)
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) (p. 94)
• International Programs (p. 95)
• Conclusion (p. 97)
• 5 Marine Biotechnology (p. 98)
• The World's Marine Life (p. 100)
• Global Marine Protected Areas (p. 103)
• Methods for Monitoring Marine Life (p. 105)
• Undersea Robots (p. 107)
• Plankton (p. 108)
• Plant Aquaculture (p. 110)
• Animal Aquaculture (p. 112)
• Cyanobacteria (p. 114)
• Coral Reef Restoration (p. 116)
• Marine Remediation Science (p. 118)
• Case Study: Florida's Tire Reef Experiment (p. 119)
• Conclusion (p. 123)
• 6 Alternative Materials and Products (p. 124)
• Reuse and Reclamation (p. 126)
• Municipal Recycling Programs (p. 128)
• Selecting Alternative Resources (p. 131)
• New Woods (p. 132)
• Case Study: Orchard Garden Hotel (p. 134)
• Consumer Products (p. 140)
• Paints and Plastics (p. 143)
• New Polymers (p. 147)
• Ecological Furniture (p. 148)
• Microwave Chemistry (p. 153)
• Compost and Its Uses (p. 154)
• Conclusion (p. 154)
• 7 Sustainable Communities (p. 157)
• The Road to Sustainability (p. 159)
• Building an Eco-city (p. 161)
• Preserving Green Space (p. 165)
• Curitiba, Brazil (p. 166)
• Tapiola, Finland (p. 168)
• Ecological Accounting (p. 168)
• Cultural Indicators of Sustainability (p. 173)
• Environmental Indicators (p. 174)
• Challenges to Sustainability (p. 175)
• Case Study: Lessons from Biosphere 2 (p. 176)
• Permaculture (p. 178)
• Conclusion (p. 181)
• 8 Future Needs (p. 182)
• Appendixes (p. 185)
• Glossary (p. 194)
• Further Resources (p. 200)
• Index (p. 212)

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

The early 21st century may someday be looked upon as a pivotal point in the Earth's history. At its most dramatic, this era might someday be thought of as the beginning of the end. The present decade marks a milestone in which the majority of people in industrialized nations and a large portion of people in the developing world are now feeling the effects of too many humans, too much waste, and the disappearance of plant and animal species faster than at any other time in history.Sustainabilitydescribes the innovations that will likely play a role in the near future for creating a critical mass in the environment's favor. Opening with a chapter describing the ecosystem of humans, animals, plants, and other life, this new full-color guideprovides an overview of ecology and the philosophy of living for the environment rather than taking from it. It goes on to explore some places in the world that have started making changes in order to live in a sustainable way as well as some new materials that conserve natural resources.Chapters include: Ecosystem Health Green Biotechnology Sustainable Agriculture and Biopesticides White Biotechnology Marine Biotechnology Alternative Materials and Products Sustainable Communities. Excerpted from Sustainability: Building Eco-Friendly Communities by Anne Maczulak All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up-This book's subtitle is misleading. Eco-friendly communities are discussed in the last chapter, but the bulk of the title examines existing and emerging technologies in the fields of biotechnology and agriculture. Maczulak writes with authority-if dryly-about the science of biotechnology and its prospects but gives only cursory attention to related concerns, such as unanticipated consequences from releasing genetically modified plants and animals on the natural environment. Though she strives for balance, the author's belief that science and biotechnology will solve all of the problems facing the planet is an undercurrent to the text. For example, though the text acknowledges that humans need to seriously address poverty and uncontrolled human population growth, statements such as, "if this technology is to rescue countries such as Bangladesh," underscore the bias toward technology. Although this book is part of a series, any work that attempts to address the issue of sustainability must discuss changes in human behavior more thoroughly. If a primer on biotechnology and emerging green technologies is needed this volume will serve, but for information on actual sustainable practices one must look elsewhere.-Caroline Tesauro, Radford Public Library, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Anne Maczulak, Ph.D., has more than 25 years' experience as a microbiologist in university laboratories. She completed undergraduate and master's studies at Ohio State University and earned a doctorate in 1984 from the University of Kentucky. She has authored peer-reviewed journal articles and technical reports and has served on corporate committees related to microbiology. Maczulak has given presentations to national environmental health associations and conducted workshops on surface water.